Attachable hopper



hopper,

Patented July 31, 192?).

UNFTED MOSES L. TRII/IMEB, OF CRAIG, MISSOURI.

ATTACHABLE HOPPER.

Application filed November 20, 1922. Serial No. 602,141!

It is another object of the invention to provide a device of this character capable of being suspended not only from the side of a support such as a railroad car or wagon, but spaced from the support so as to permit discharge of the material a considerable distance from the support without danger of waste.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a device of this character having a body member and an inclined bottom and an end member for permitting discharge of the material from the body member, said end member being normally held firmly in position ber.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a hopper of this character including brackets for suspending the hopper from the side of a support, and wherein the suspending means of the bracket do not receive the entire strain of the load. but are assisted in their supporting action by holding means without interfering with. the in clination of the bottom of the hopper.

With these and other objects in view. the invention consists in the improved construction and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more particularly described. fully claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of an attachable hopper constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the invention and showing the hopper closed and applied to a support;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the hopper open: and

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view.

Referring to the drawings 5 designates a comprising side members .6 and 7., the upper edge 8 and front edge 9 of each by means also used to open said end memprovide a foot 20 of the side members being disposed at right angles to each other. The lower edge 10 of each side member is inclined obliquely of the side members and upwardly. The lower edge 10 of each side member inclines in the same direction. The side members are connected at their upper forward ends by a connecting strip 11. Engaged with the lower inclined edges 10 of the side members 6 and 7 is a bottom member 12, said bottom member being inclined so as to substantially provide a chute through the cooperation of the sides 6 and 7. Hinged or otherwise securedto the connecting strip 11 is a closure or end member l3. adapted to close the hopper to retain matter therein until it is desired that the same be discharged.

In order that the hopper may be supported at the place desired, for instance. from the side of a gondola railroad car. there is provided novel supporting means in the form of brackets 14, each bra ket comprising a supporting arm 15 having a plural ty of openings 15 rov ded in one end thereof. Formed integral with the opposite end of the supporting arm 15 is a holding arm 16, said arm being disposed in angular relation to the arm 15. The arm 16 is also provided with a series of openings which extend longitudinally thereof. It is desirable that the brackets be adjustable. To permit this. an extension 17 is provided, one end of said extension having openings adapted to register with certain of the openings 15 the opposite end 1'? of the extension being extended in angular relation to the first mentioned end and provided with a series of openings 18 for the reception of a pin 19. said pin being adapted to extend into any one of the openings 18 to accommodate the device to the support with wh ch it is engaged. In order that the arm 16 may be adjustable. there is provided an extension 20. one end of the extens on being enlar ed to V The oppos teend portion of the extension has openings adapted to register with certain of the openinfrs of the arm 16. suitable fastening means. such as bolts. being passed through the registering openings to hold the extension in the desired adjusted position. The foot 20 is adapted to engage the outer face of the support or car beneath and in spaced relation to the pin 19. V The upper or supporting arm is disposed in an inclined position and is secured to the lower face of the bottom 1%.

one bracket being disposed on each side of the bottom thereof. It will be noted that the upper edge of the bottom 12 is disposed in spaced relation to the pins so as to permit said upper edge to be disposed in the plane of the upper edge of the support or car. By this means the hopper is suspended from the side of the car and in order that the inclination of the hopper may be maintained. the holding arms are intended to engage the outer face of the car, thus holding the hopper in the desired position and at the same time relieving; the extension 17 of the greater portion of the supporting strain Without causing injury to the support or car. No fastening means of any description are necessary in order to secure the hooks to the car,as the Weight of the hopper, in addition to the holding arms 19, is su'liicient to maintain the hopper in the desired position on the support or car.

In order that the closure or end member 13 may be actuated Without danger to the operator, and Without requiring unnecessary time and labor on the part of the operator, there is provided a novel actuating mechanism comprising a main shaft 21 which is journaled in bearings 22 carried by the side portions of the bottom member 12 adjacent the lower end of the bottom member. The ends 23 of the shaft 21 are extended at right angles to the shaft. The extremities of the ends 23 are extended at right angles to provide pivot pins or trunnions Extending; from the central portion of the shaft 21 in angular relation to the ends 23 and the shaft, is an actuating lever 24 having an opening 25 in its end for the reception of a cable 26. This cable 26 is intendedto extend over a pulley 27 carriel by the upper end portion of the bottom member 12. The cable may be of a length sufiicient to ere tend to any point so that if desired the operator may actuate the closing member from Within the car. 7

Secured to each side portion of the closure member 13 is an arm 28. said arm projecting beyond the edge of the closure member and the side portions. A connecting; rod 29 is provided for connecting the arms 28 to the ends 23 of the shaft. .his red is relatively long and has its end portions disposed slightly in angular relation to each other. The end portion 30 of each of the rods 29 is connected to the adjacent arm 28, While the end portion 31 is connected to the extremity of the adjacent arm 23 by means of the extremity 28* of the arm 23 which extends through the openin in the end portion 31 of the rod 29.

In view of the angular position of the end portions 30 and 31 of the rod 29, it is possible for the extremity and the pivot of the rod 23 at the bearing 22 and the pivot of the end portion 30 of the rod to be dis posed substantially in alignment or in other WOl'ClS in a dead center so as to lock the end member in its closed position Without quiring further fastening means.

The above arrangement permits the hop per to be filled with any material without danger of the end member accidentally opening. After the desired quantity has been placed in the hopper the cable 26 be pulled so as to break the dead center of the pivots mentioned above, thereby causing movement of the hopper 29 as Well the shaft 21 and swinging the closure me'nber upwardly, thus releasing the contents of the hopper.

In order to cause the closure member to swing to its closed position automatical there is provided a spring the'eud 33!- of the spring being secured to the lower end portion of the bottom 12, While the end portion 35 of the spring is secured to the end of the actuating lever 24:. his spring causes d \VITWQIG. movement of the lever 2%, thus swinging the closure member d upwardly and also causing the pivots above mentioned to be returned to their dead center position. thus locking; the closure member. I

From the above it will be readily seen that this invention pro -ides a novel form of hopper capable of being positioned on any support capable of receiving; the hooks 1.7 so that its utility not limited. In addition to this the hopper regardless of its supportingmeans, is alwa s positioned so that the bottom is inclined to facilitate dischar 'c of the matter, and after the hopper is lowered it is not necessary to disengage the hopper from the support, but simply operate the actuatin g mechanism of the closure 13. All of these features are poss' :sed by a device iv ii ch is simple in. construction and compact in rorm.

What is claimed is 1. An attachment hopper comprising spaced side members, a movable end member and an inclined bottom member, brackets carried by each side portion of the bottom, each bracket comprising a supporting arm disposed at an inclination to a support and adapted to be secured to the bottom of the hopper, a holding; arm projecting from the lower end portion of the supporting arm. said holding arm extending at right angles to the support, the opposite end of the supporting arm having; an adjustable extension, adjustable means carried by said extension for holding the arm in connection with support, and an adjustable extension carried by the end of the holding arm and-arranged to engage the adjacent face of the eXtension.

2. A car unloading chute including an inclined bottom, and supporting brackets carried by said bottom, each of said brackets including an inclined supporting arm fixed to the bottom of the hopper, a depending stop adjustable longitudinally of the upper end of each bracket and adaptedto detachably engage over the upper edge of the side of a car, and a holding arm rigid with the su ortin arm extendin rearwardl from rods pivotally connected with saidcran:

arms and door, a spring normally holding the door closed, and an additional crank arm on said crank shaft movable whereby to open the door. 7 v

4. In combination with a car unloading hopper chute, brackets carried by said chute to detachably attach the latter to the side of a car, said brackets being extensible for ad-- justing the hopper toward or away from the side of the car, each of said brackets further embodyingan intermediate member having an upper inclined portion secured to the bottom of the hopper, and a rearwardly extending lower portion rigid with said inclined portion, and extensions carried, by the free ends of said bracket portions respectivelyadapted to engage over the upper edge of the side of a car and to rest against the outer face of the side of the car.

5. In combination with a car unloading hopper chute, brackets carried by said chute to detachably attach the latter to the side of a car, said brackets being extensible for adjusting the hopper toward or away from the side of the, car, each of said brackets further embodying an intermediate member. having an upper inclined portion secured to the bottom of the hopper, and a rearwardly extending lower portion rigid with said inclined portion, and extensions carried by the free ends of saidbracket portions respectively adapted to engage over the upper edge of the side of a car and to rest against the outer face of the side ofthe car, the extension of the inclined portion of the bracket having aseries of apertures, and a removable pin adapted for selective reception within the desired one of said apertures to engage the inner face of the side of the car I for preventing displacement of the hopper away from the car and for permitting fur ther adjustment of the upper end of the hop per toward or away from the side of the car.

6. A car unloading hopper; chute embodying a bottom, a pair of'sides, a cross piece rigidly connecting the sides above the bottom, a vertically swinging door having its upper edge hinged to said cross piece, connecting rods disposed beside the sides of the hopper and having their outer ends pivoted to the door, a shaft journaled beneath the bottom of the hopper and having cranks upon its ends pivotally connected to the innerends of theconnecting rods, a further crank rigid with said shaft intermediate the first named cranks, yieldable means .connected to the last named crank and to the bottom of the hopper for normally closing the door, a guidev carried by the bottom ofthe hopper abOVe said last named crank,and

a flexible opening member for the door at-- taohed to said last named crank and passing upwardly over said guide a In testimonywhereof I hereunto aflix my signature. a

' MOSES L. TRIMMER. 

